pinches tacos

Where do you take your diva immediately after she finishes running 26.2 miles? For tacos, of course!

Going to Pinches was kind of an accident. Julia had just gotten done with the L.A. Marathon and I had followed her all over the course (the only spot I missed her was when she ran directly in front of our hotel). The marathon ended at Santa Monica pier and there were tens of thousands of people down there. I worked up quite a hunger taking taxis for 26.2 miles and needed to eat quickly.

We walked over to the food court area of the pedestrian mall (the yuppies call it Santa Monica Place, I guess). What did we see? Pinches Tacos. I always look up the meaning of the places I go because I’m a gringo and don’t know anything. So, I’ve checked several sources, and Pinches Tacos literally translates to… “Fucking Tacos.”

Even though this place was in a mall, at a food court, is a multiple-location (4) restaurant, and is surrounded by wall-to-wall white people, I decided I was going to give it a fair evaluation. I ordered a carne asada, a camaron and an adobado taco, along with a cold beer (a total plus for a mall).

The food looks nice coming out and they make their own tortillas, so I was excited. The taste, however, doesn’t follow suit. I don’t think any of the tacos they have are bad, but there isn’t anything exciting, flavor-wise, going on. I think the seasoning is a little bland and the adobado doesn’t seem to have much adobo. It is sweet and juicy, but the flavor doesn’t come through. The tortillas were a’ight, but nothing special. They also bread the shrimp for the camaron taco. I prefer grilled (who’s the diva, now?).

In a pinch (hehe), I would have these tacos again, but I don’t think I’ll ever seek it out again….Wait, I guess I really never did in the first place.